Prosper council postpones multifamily standards amendments for further discussion

Conversations around amendments to Prosper’s multifamily standards are expected to continue for the next month, officials said.

Prosper Town Council members tabled a vote on amendments to the town’s multifamily development standards to a Dec. 12 meeting during a Nov. 14 meeting.

Postponing the vote allows town officials more time to fully understand the changes, Mayor David Bristol said.

“I believe I got some feedback from different council members that they may want some more time to actually look at the consequences and the unintended consequences of adopting this,” Bristol said.

The changes

There are 12 proposed amendments, including:

• Requiring that a multifamily development can only be approved within a planned development
• Establishing a minimum density of 40 units per acre
• Removing setbacks and lot area requirements, as these can be determined on a case-by-case basis within the planned development standards
• Increasing the maximum height allowance from three stories and 50 feet to eight stories and 110 feet
• Removing multifamily design and development standards as these criteria will be addressed in planned development standards

Town staff also recommended future multifamily zoning should be limited to the areas already designated in the comprehensive plan, according to meeting documents. This includes:

• High Density Residential
• Dallas North Tollway district
• Town Center District
• Old Town District

If approved, the amendments would apply to all future and all currently entitled, but not yet built, multifamily developments, Director of Development Services David Hoover said.

“If there is a planned development that’s not been developed yet ... they'd have to abide by these regulations if they were not already specified,” he said.

Town staff is compiling a list of planned developments that would be affected by the amendments for council, Hoover said.

What they’re saying

The proposed amendments will help the standards better align with the town’s comprehensive plan, according to meeting documents.

“We need to make sure we get it right,” Bristol said.

Prosper Planning and Zoning Commission members unanimously recommended the amendments be approved at a Nov. 7 meeting, Hoover said.

Stay tuned

The amendments will appear on council’s Dec. 12 agenda. A full list of Prosper meeting dates and agendas can be found here.